December 10, 2012

Your Smartphone is Part of a Sensor Array

Have you ever really stopped to wonder what kind of data your smartphone (Android or iOS) device collects? Although you may use your phone as a communications device, many of us think of your phone as an incredible distributed sensor array. If one can combine that data with demographic and purchasing trend information the possibilities are endless. After reading this post and viewing the screenshots you will better understand why Amazon is willing to sell their Kindles at cost, and Apple, Google and Microsoft view it as imperative to be a big player in the mobile market through both phones and tablets. Data represents big money.

If you're interested in reading a more in depth study of the sensors in your mobile phone, read this post from the Mobile Device Insight Blog. My curiousity found me installing the free AndroSensor app. By running this app I can see all the data my smartphone is collecting at this very instant. If you've granted access to lots and lots of apps to collect data about you, consider thinking twice. My own smartphone collects this data:

Location (GPS)

Accelerometer

Light

Magnetic Field

Orientation

Proxmity

Battery

Sound Level

The sensors included in "smart" phones will only increase in the future.

Comments

On a recent hike on the Appalachian Trail I was given the trail name Data because of my attention to apps and to data from the phone, including GPS based sunrise & sunset, google sky for night viewing, and Endomondo for hike data.

At a Detroit Pistons game last Friday, my iPhone recorded the Nationl Anthem at 96 decibels; simply too loud to be patriotic.

I do agree with you, Rich, that a smartphone is so much more that a device to talk or text on.